This week The Times will begin a series highlighting the four candidates for the Fountain Hills Sanitary District Board of Directors.

The four candidates vying for three seats on the board include incumbent and current Vice Chairman, Jerry Butler; incumbent, Michael Maroon; Bob Shelstrom and incumbent, Bob Thomson.

This election is an all-mail ballot process. Ballots will be mailed to registered voters on Wednesday, Oct. 9. The registration deadline for this election is Monday, Oct. 7. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.

The candidates are responding to a series of questions posed by The Times. Question #1 asks: As a member of the Sanitary District Board of Directors, how do you view your role in the operation of the district?

Jerry Butler: “I view my role as ‘overseeing’ all parts of Sanitary District operations to assure users that sufficient revenues are available to pay expenses, that all waste byproducts are being properly handled, and that the final effluent meets all environmental regulations. In other words, a director’s role is about planning, controlling and managing, but not micro-managing.

“I am proud to report that day-to-day operations are quietly being handled by a very competent, dedicated staff of 44 men and women, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. District operations have many moving parts and the staff does a phenomenal job of maintaining everything, plus quickly responding to any unexpected events.

“In addition to oversight, I feel that I have an important obligation to look beyond month-to-month activities and help bring focus on the future. Since the district is now 50 years old, keeping all components functioning is critical, plus it’s equally important to anticipate what might happen next. Unlike many districts, the FHSD is not able to discharge its treated effluents into a natural stream; it must dispose all effluents within the community and that adds complexity and expense to the operations.”

Michael Maroon: “The Sanitary District operations are not unlike the operations of any major publicly traded corporation. Corporate boards serve as fiduciaries over the corporation on behalf of all shareholders.

“They’re also responsible for the vision of the company and oversight of the key decisions that are made by the executive team.

“Take Apple as an example. Apple has a board of directors (BoD) that ultimately is responsible for the 30,000-foot view of where Apple is going. Apple’s BoD ultimately hired Tim Cook, the CEO, to accomplish that vision and hire a key executive team to run the day-to-day operations of the company. Key management is responsible for the 1,000-foot view.

“The BoD meets regularly to hold Tim accountable to that vision by ensuring the 1,000-foot view is congruent with accomplishing the 30,000-foot view. Ultimately, it is Tim Cook making the day-to-day decisions for Apple, but he is doing this knowing that he has to account for how these decisions are in line with the vision of the company to the BoD at the next meeting.

“My role as a director is no different.

“I’m not here to micromanage, but rather ensure that our district manager and her key team, as custodian of our shared vision and our resources, continue to move the district in the right direction. I’m proud to say we have an excellent ‘CEO’ in Dana Trompke and a strong board that executes its role well. I am asking for your vote of confidence to continue in this capacity.”

Bob Shelstrom: “Directors are responsible for ensuring that the district performs its mission in the safest, most effective, efficient and economical manner achievable. This means working with the operations team to establish means and methods of implementing district goals and oversight in execution.

“District operations are technically complex. Director technical competence is essential to ensure management recommendations are optimal and technically correct.

“District resources should be used executing the district mission, not engaging in expensive ‘vanity projects’ outside that mission for political purpose.

“The district is currently building two new park restrooms costing approximately $3 million ($2.71 million construction, $250,000 design/pre-construction) while 25 district projects ($13,484,000 over four years), presumably improving facility safety and operations, were given lower priority.

“To legally use district funds for the restrooms, district equipment, piping and conduit needed costly and unnecessary demolition and re-location to restroom buildings.

“The town didn’t even include these restrooms in capital plans, as they would if justifiably cost-beneficial.

“Had the district sought to help the town with their excess funds, they could’ve taken lake waste water treatment/operation system responsibility from the town. The Town has no staff expertise for this. The district does. This could make as much as $200,000 available annually for town park improvements.

“The ‘problem’ with this is that no political pre-election Sanitary District ribbon-cutting photo-op would occur with this sensible approach.

“As director I’ll assist management in fulfilling the district’s mission of providing quality wastewater services putting prudency before politics. I challenge other directors to do likewise.”

Bob Thomson: “State law charges the Sanitary District Board of Directors with broad powers to ‘...construct, maintain and operate...a sewage treatment system and necessary sewage disposal and treatment plants...’ 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

“The starting point in meeting this charge to the directors is the hiring and, if necessary, the firing of the district manager. It is through this person that the daily operations of the district are directed. Thus, the supervision of the district manager is director ‘Job One.’

“As a director, I have a duty to see that the district’s finances are sound and adequate to meet the daily operations and the long-term needs for facilities and equipment.

“First, the annual budgeting process provides the opportunity to dig in-depth into our entire operation.

“Second, as a part of the budgeting process our ‘Five Year Plan’ provides a detailed guide to upcoming major system and facility capital expenditures.

“Third, an annual audit by an independent CPA firm gives a thorough report about the district’s financial position to both the board and the community.

“As a director who is active in the community, I constantly listen for feedback from residents about the district’s operations.

“As one of five directors, I value and respect the views of my fellow directors, even if I don’t always agree with them. We are a diverse group with varied backgrounds, but we work together with the district manager to provide the first class sanitary services this community needs and expects.”